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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040336">cold hands, warm heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescentius/pseuds/crescentius'>crescentius</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>through fire and water [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Seventeen - Freeform, Seventeen right here, Slow Burn, University, but is it doe, did i write fluff??????, fluff???, have some soonwoo while you're at it, i did not expect to write a continuation, is it mutual pining? lets see, no betas we die like men, soonie and wonunu, soonwoo, uni bois, wonwoo and cats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:26:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,163</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescentius/pseuds/crescentius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would you do, if it was you feeling these things?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>through fire and water [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2130462</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>cold hands, warm heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this can also be read separately and excluding part one of through fire and water, but some context can be taken from the other.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Monday on a January, it was cold, and it often rained in between days.</p><p> </p><p>Jeon Wonwoo was stuck in the Music section of the library. He knows, it’s not his major, but he kept hanging out in this place because as full as the library is, the Social Sciences section where he majors is shared with is laden with, he doesn’t know, maybe close to a hundred students whatever time of the day, business students just hanging out and those accounting students with the clacks of their large calculators, and those random medicine students, and those humanities students who can stand the throngs of people in that section. Sometimes the accumulated not so silent but not too loud noise just breaks his level of concentration he has, so he migrated to the Music section.</p><p>After all, there are very few music students in their conservatory.</p><p> </p><p>A few months in, where going straight to the Music section became second nature to him, he admits. It’s not the noise which removes his concentration—it’s him. Wonwoo doesn’t know, he just. cannot. help. not. sleep. A few minutes after stacking the readings he has for the day’s lecture, he reaches an intrapersonal resignation to his body and moves to sleep. Arms tucked in front of him to pillow his head for sleep. He estimates there’s at least 15 or 30 minutes give or take for one snooze time. Then Wonwoo wakes up to cram his readings.</p><p> </p><p>He is not alone though. There’s this classmate of his who sits a few tables away from him. They don’t sit together since he knows that won’t do the both of them good. They’ll just chat. They did not talk about it explicitly, but he thinks his classmate knows too. So they just nod at each other when the other arrives and just go to the others’ table for questions, or if its time to go to class. Wonwoo once invited that classmate of his to coffee at a café near the library, but his classmate told him that they don’t drink coffee. Wonwoo apologized once asking. But he forgets about that fact, so once every few days he goes to his classmate’s table in the Music section and invites him to coffee at the café near the library, but once again, his classmate told him that they don’t drink coffee, and Wonwoo apologizes again. He is forgetful most of the time.</p><p> </p><p>Speaking of forgetfulness, his Monday schedule contains just one class which his Music section buddy does not attend. It’s 3 hours long, the professor arrives late, and picks on students. Usually a bloke or some other unfortunate kid will get picked to recite the whole meeting. Maybe 2 to 3 hours. It’s a high stakes game with your luck to bet with.</p><p> </p><p>And Jeon Wonwoo feels his luck is running out.</p><p>He was sick over the weekend with a fever, so he wasn’t able to make a head start on the 32 readings he is due to study for tonight’s class. Ah, the professor is a luminary on his field, supposedly one of the brightest ones but the doesn’t impart some of his god-given braincells of his to his students. Go figure. Modern education or whatever. His professor’s going to get it once university evaluation 4.</p><p> </p><p>His fourth reading out of the 32, he starts to feel his anxiety bubbling up and spreading throughout his system. Way to go. He adjusts the glasses on top of his nose with haste, and searches for anything to calm his nerves. The coffee at the café wont help of course. It will just set his nerves on ice and fire and his problems will just. not. cease. The fact that the comforting presence of his classmate is inexistent does not help.</p><p> </p><p>He is so very much considering bailing out of class. Damn the incentive grades for complete class attendance, he does not need the constant anxiety for two hours before class, and the intensified anxiety for three hours in class with a professor that does not teach.</p><p>He bows his head on the table and breathes heavily.</p><p> </p><p>Vibrates. His phone received a message.</p><p>Wonwoo checks. It’s from Soonyoung. Soonyoung told him his class just ended. And asks where he is.</p><p>Wonwoo replies he is at the library.</p><p>Soonyoung asks if he is free, since their other friends are with him at the plumeria tree where they usually met up.</p><p> </p><p>Ah. That plumeria tree.</p><p>Wonwoo shakes his head before some other emotions could come meddle with his anxiety. But he cannot study anyway so might as well meet Soonyoung and his other friends. It wouldn’t hurt anyway. He packs up his readings back in his bag with other books for tomorrow’s class and heads out of the library.</p><p>He turns right upon exiting the building, another right and past the pavilion with idle students and out to the square where at the end, there was the plumeria and the row of benches.</p><p> </p><p>Under the plumeria there he sits. Soonyoung. That friend. Friend. Or so, Wonwoo would like to say. Two of their other friends are there as well, Jihoon and Jun. Soonyoung was wearing his usual white dress shirt and a black jacket on maybe because of the cold weather. The other two are wearing their usual class get-up. Wonwoo makes it appear that he nonchalantly appears.</p><p> </p><p>“Jeon Wonwoo!” Jun was the first to notice him. Jihoon and Soonyoung follow suit.</p><p>“Hey, why are you guys gathered here? Don’t you have classes to go to?” Wonwoo asks, smiling, holding his bag closer.</p><p>“What class?” Jun scoffs, “My class with Soonyoung ended a while ago.”</p><p>“Oh right. Sorry Jun,” Wonwoo apologizes. Jun went away running since he has somewhere to go, looking at his phone worriedly. Wonwoo deduces he’s going to meet someone. Ah well.</p><p>“Wonwoo, I already told you, I messaged you earlier that my class just ended. Jun and I share the same class, remember?” Soonyoung said. Oh right. He looks at Soonyoung’s way and admits.</p><p>“Ah, I must’ve forgot.”</p><p>“Wonwoo, you need some vitamins or something.”</p><p>“Hmm, maybe I should get some.”</p><p>“How’s class?”</p><p> </p><p>Before Soonyoung could reply, Jihoon breaks the momentum of their banter, eyebrow raised.</p><p>“I have class in an hour. Are you done with class Wonwoo?” Jihoon inquires, feet tapping the ground. Maybe it’s the before-class jitters. Yeah, Wonwoo relates, he has this raging anxiety in his system at the moment, he hopes it doesn’t show.</p><p>“I have in two hours. I am so not ready for this, I don’t know if I have guts to go,” Wonwoo confesses. Jihoon laughs, and looks at him with crazy eyes, Wonwoo doesn’t know if its Jihoon actually having fun or is scared the hell out of his wits. Maybe both, Wonwoo thinks.</p><p>“Me too man, what the actual hell, but I can’t not attend because I already missed two classes. They’ll kill me if I skip another one.” Jihoon sighs. A group of people at Wonwoo’s periphery seems to call Jihoon over.</p><p>“Do you know those people?” Soonyoung asks, chin pointing to the group. Jihoon looks that way.</p><p>“Yeah, they’re the people I’m in class with. Gods, seeing them reminds me I have to attend class.” Jihoon complains, right foot trying to crumble a pebble onto the ground. Jihoon sighs another sigh. A long one. Wonwoo commiserates with him.</p><p>“I have to go you guys, I have to face this thing,” Jihoon resigns, looking at Wonwoo, with an eyebrow raised suggestively, “in the meantime, you two, go figure something out whatever that is,” he says, smirking at Wonwoo. What the actual hell, Jihoon must be a damn psychic or something. Jihoon, then, adds up to one of the Top 10 Things Wonwoo Should Worry About.</p><p> </p><p>After Jihoon left, Soonyoung faced Wonwoo. Wonwoo is aware, but he wants to wallow in his own misery and just goes to look at his feet outstretched on the ground where fallen plumeria flowers are scattered. The rain yesterday must’ve felled it.</p><p>“Wonwoo.”</p><p>“Wonwoo.” Wonwoo whips his head to Soonyoung. His eyes looks so bright.</p><p>“Um. Yeah?” Wonwoo asks, out of breath. He must’ve forgotten how to breathe but he was sure his brainstem was still working. He can still blink and stuff.</p><p>“What about your class?” Soonyoung asks. He tilted his head, face contorted into worry. Wonwoo relates, he would’ve been worried too, seeing how Jihoon was so anxious. Wonwoo is too.</p><p>“I don’t know, I’m seriously thinking of bailing out.” Wonwoo admits.</p><p>Wonwoo looks at Soonyoung, expecting sad eyes but he the damn bastard seems to be having fun at the fact.</p><p>Wonwoo is flabbergasted. “You know what, Soon—”</p><p>“Then, wanna play hooky?” Soonyoung’s eyes are mischievous but full of light, Wonwoo curses inwardly.</p><p> </p><p>He thought it was just the summer heat last time making him feel lightheaded that his thoughts flew all the way from attending class to about feely-feelings. But it’s January now and its cold, and it’s raining every now and then, what is there to blame? The cold makes one sober, but he’s… too far gone now. Months have passed and he does not know, does not—in any way, know from where, in the two years he have known Soonyoung, have become from just this, to This Thing™ from that one summer day full of fire and one cat and tuna sandwich and running late to Spanish class with padre, to this—Soonyoung with mischievous eyes but full of light playing the Devil’s advocate tempting him to play hooky with him—who has finished class in contrast to him, scared as a cat to this one Monday class with full-on anxiety mode.</p><p> </p><p>Wonwoo decides to play with Soonyoung’s fire.</p><p> </p><p>“Should I?” Wonwoo raises an eyebrow. Soonyoung is totally up for it.</p><p>“Oh yeah, I mean, you aren’t for class right? You can miss this one and just prepare better for the next class… next Monday right?”</p><p>“Right… I haven’t used up my allowable absences anyway.”</p><p>“So… Wanna go? Are you sure? Are you sure?” Soonyoung seems to be ready to launch into space with his giddiness. Wonwoo chuckles in defeat. Oh yeah, he is so, so lost.</p><p>“You know what?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Fuck it, let’s go, I’m not going.” Wonwoo resigns, sighing. He fishes out his phone from his pocket and picks a classmate to whom he will spew out lies as excuse he cannot go to class.</p><p>“Yeah! That’s my Wonwoo!” Soonyoung exclaims, standing up from the bench they were sitting, offering his hand. Wonwoo looks up, partly in surprise, yes, partly, since he does want to be swept off entirely by it, and also because Soonyoung offering him his hand is a scene he became too familiar with months ago. A summer day. Full of fire. A halo of sun around his head.</p><p>“Let’s go.” Wonwoo gulps his anxiety down and take Soonyoung’s hand. He quicky let go though. He sees Soonyoung sigh and pout but does not say anything about it. Instead, Soonyoung asks Wonwoo where they should go.</p><p>Wonwoo replies that they should go to the library since he brought the book for tomorrow’s class. A head start for tomorrow. Wonwoo feels a little bit better now, since the time his Monday class starts is exactly now, and Wonwoo read his classmate’s reply of get well soon. Wonwoo’s mood fell a little bit down from that better since he does not like lying. But oh for this thing, he gambled.</p><p> </p><p>Soonyoung led the two of them to, surprise, surprise, that Social Sciences section he does not venture to. They sat at the carrels, setting down their bags at the side. Wonwoo took out the book he was having for class tomorrow. He was to read at least 30 pages for it. Not too little and not too much. Soonyoung seems to be reading his own book, or it seems to. Wonwoo can’t really focus much. Soonyoung is beside him and all.</p><p>15 pages in and he sees on his periphery, Soonyoung staring at him, head propped on his hand, elbow on the table. Wonwoo does not look at him directly, he does not want to. He also wonders what Soonyoung was thinking.</p><p>Wonwoo tries. so hard. to focus on his reading.</p><p> </p><p>So much for focus.</p><p>He just pretended to read the rest of the 15 pages. After a while he decided against the betterment of his judgement to look at Soonyoung at his right, still staring at him with that look on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Wonwoo asks. Soonyoung shrugs.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Soonyoung replies nonchalantly.</p><p>“You’re staring at me, what’s wrong?”</p><p>“I don’t know, I just kind of want to distract you. Is it working?” Soonyoung says. Yes. Definitely. For quite some time now. Since summer. Wonwoo thinks. His brain not really functioning at normal operating conditions.</p><p>“Well, people don’t normally get stared at while reading,” Wonwoo replies as a matter of fact.</p><p>“Point taken. Continue with your reading then,” Soonyoung states, not moving an inch from his spot viewing the view named Jeon Wonwoo. Oh gods, Wonwoo pleads. His resolve has not been shaken so hard until today.</p><p> </p><p>“Soonyoung,” Wonwoo calls him.</p><p>“Yeah?” Soonyoung drawls out lazily.</p><p>“Done with studying?” he asks.</p><p>“I can’t seem to focus,” Soonyoung replies, staring at him, “might try again when I get back to the dorms.”</p><p>“Want to get out of here?”</p><p>“Hell yeah, let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Monday on a January, it was cold, and it often rained in between days.</p><p> </p><p>Jeon Wonwoo was walking past the plumeria with Kwon Soonyoung beside him. Earlier, hints of dusk was showing, but after their egress at the library, the blanket of dark sky settled in. All the difference an hour makes.</p><p>Wonwoo asked where Soonyoung wanted to go, but Soonyoung didn’t particularly say a place he was partial to going. Their feet was thinking on their own though, leading them past to the university’s oldest building and out to the university plaza, dotted with students walking about. The breeze was kind enough to bring a cool air past them. They spotted an empty bench by the statue of the university’s founder, some guy sculpted out of bronze that oxidized to green due to years and years of exposure to the elements.</p><p>Soonyoung sat and leaned back, offering the free space next to him. Wonwoo obliged, sitting down and sighing. Soonyoung’s eyes are directed skyward, looking at the statue and the lights directed at it, and to the starless sky erased by pollution. The moon was out though. It was enough for its light to illuminate the pearl-like glow of the skin on Soonyoung’s face. Wonwoo wishes he wasn’t wearing his glasses to notice such little detail. Maybe his eyesight was getting a little too good.</p><p> </p><p>“Wondering what they’re doing now aren’t you?” Soonyoung starts, a slight smile gracing his features.</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Your classmates.” Ah, them. Wonwoo almost forgot he was playing hooky with Soonyoung.</p><p>“Hmm. I kind of don’t want to know. Although I’m sure I wasn’t having that luck that I won’t be called this time.”</p><p>“You guys recite in that class?”</p><p>“We do, don’t ask, it was hell all the time.”</p><p>“I won’t.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>“But you? Jeon Wonwoo? Bag of luck? That bag of luck seems to have run out of luck?” Soonyoung laughs, shoulder bumping into Wonwoo’s. Wonwoo’s eyebrows raised at the contact, but did not react otherwise. Soonyoung is a touchy feely kind of guy, so he’s come to accept whatever that comes his way. Especially now. So he will be sure to accept and entertain whatever it is. He seems to want to absorb all of it. But not that he would let him know anyway.</p><p>“I do, gods, remember I got that nickname because I lost that one game?” Wonwoo chuckles at that old memory. So much for him gloating his being a bag of luck when he lost after some strikes.</p><p>“Damn, must be rough for you, man.”</p><p>“Has been for a semester now. I want this to be over with,” Wonwoo laments, shoulder sagging.</p><p> </p><p>Soonyoung’s arm went to link its own to Wonwoo’s, hand tapping Wonwoo’s leg. Thumb lazily making out patterns. Wonwoo sucks in a quick breath.</p><p>“It’ll be all right, Wonwoo, don’t worry. Look, let’s just drink in this peaceful university night while your classmates suffer,” Soonyoung says, laughing at the end of his statement.</p><p>Wonwoo huffs out in slight protest but follows Soonyoung’s advice, his head leaning back to see the the statue and the lights directed at it, and to the starless sky erased by pollution. And the moon. It seems peaceful and quiet, amidst the university scattered with students. He breathes in the cool January air.</p><p> </p><p>Soonyoung asks a random question.</p><p>“Hey, Wonwoo, are you ever going to marry?”</p><p>“Mary who? I don’t know a Mary,” Wonwoo replies in mere afterthought, his braincells too slow to keep up.</p><p>“No, like, I meant marry like marriage, that church thing,” Soonyoung tuts in slight annoyance. Wonwoo thinks.</p><p>“Oh. No, I don’t think so? I haven’t really thought about it, and now that you’ve said it, I’m not really partial to the idea of having kids and all. You?” Wonwoo throws the ball back to Soonyoung’s court.</p><p>“Hmm… Depends… Maybe… I don’t know if I’ll end up with a guy or a girl anyway. And kids are okay too but I don’t know what to do if I’ll have them. Not really thinking about it right now.” Soonyoung drabbles.</p><p>Wonwoo’s ear picked up that. one. phrase. Not that he minds Soonyoung’s preference anyway. Soonyoung wasn’t conventional to begin with. But knowing that fact makes him a little hopeful. One percent. It’s not too much, Wonwoo thinks, but if he thinks that “it’s one percent”, not “it’s just one percent,” does it mean he has a fighting chance? But what is one percent against the rest of the ninety-nine?</p><p>Wonwoo hates conflicting thoughts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A small drop.</p><p>He thought it was just a tear drop on his face marring his eyelashes. Followed by another one. And another. Until it was successive and simultaneous. He opens his eyes.</p><p>Soonyoung was already standing up, right hand clutching his bag and the other, extended out to Wonwoo.</p><p>“It’s raining, hurry up!”</p><p> </p><p>Wonwoo gets his bag and Soonyoung went to grab Wonwoo’s free hand, tugging him out from the bench and out to the plaza, running, turning left to the field where he used to walk through in lazy afternoons, and into a covered pavilion with huddling students. The walkways are naught of people, and everyone was out taking shelter. The rain poured on. Wonwoo looks on forward to Soonyoung’s pale hand holding his, running. This scene looks so, so familiar he wants to just sit and while the rain away under it. Where the last time was a hot summer day with the pavement lined with fire and fallen plumeria flowers, tonight was a starless moonlit sky, with rain falling light and successive like snow, pattering on the pavement with small puddles forming which feet are avoiding. Soonyoung’s back looked broad and reliable and strong, and his brown, damp hair sticking to his nape, his black jacket useless in the face of the falling rain.</p><p>Wonwoo sighs a long sigh that speaks of unspoken things and thoughts left unsaid. Are the gods lamenting for him? Wonwoo thinks. Wonwoo knows his hand is cold, as it has always been.</p><p>But Soonyoung’s hand holding his is warm despite the cold rain.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Soonyoung found them a spot to sit by the pavilion facing the field, and they sat shoulder to shoulder, knees touching. Wonwoo looks at Soonyoung who was shaking his head with his hair slightly wet from the rain. His own hair must be at the same state too.</p><p>Soonyoung looks at him, eyebrows furrowed. He brought out his grey handkerchief and handed it to Wonwoo, pressing it down on his palm.</p><p>“Your hair is miserable. Try to dry it a little, you’ll catch a cold,” he mutters. Wonwoo takes it and runs it through his hair.</p><p>“I’ll wash it and return it to you,” Wonwoo promises. Soonyoung shakes his head.</p><p>“No, no, it’s yours now. Really, Wonwoo, you cannot seem to take care of yourself well alone,” Soonyoung drones on, fussy over him.</p><p> </p><p>“I have you,” Wonwoo says, looking at Soonyoung. Soonyoung’s eyes looked wide, mouth slightly agape. A distant heavy footfall breaks his reverie.</p><p>“Well of course you have me, look at you now, you’re like a soaked cat,” Soonyoung laughs, shoulder pressing against his in a slight nudge. Wonwoo glares at Soonyoung while folding the handkerchief. Neatly.</p><p>“I’m pretty dry now, thanks to you,” Wonwoo declares to Soonyoung with a slight puff of chest for a dramatic flair.</p><p>“You are very much welcome.”</p><p> </p><p>The stream of students walking out in the rain gradually increased, and the rain slowly let on. Still looks like the gentle falling of the first snow. Neither of them had an umbrella so they agreed to wait it out.</p><p> </p><p>“Soonyoung, I have this friend,” Wonwoo starts, fiddling with the straps of his leather messenger bag. Soonyoung hums in reply, linking again his arm with Wonwoo’s.</p><p>“This friend is the one I told you about, a high school friend of mine now studying at the health sciences department, do you remember?” Wonwoo asks in passing. Soonyoung hums another response, which Wonwoo takes as a cue to continue.</p><p>“So this friend’s been talking to me a lot lately, she has this friend she shares classes with, and sometimes goes to hospital duty together for requirements, and this friend, she starts to like? She told me she has a crush on this guy, but she doesn’t know if she should tell or whatever, she’s afraid. Now she tells me sometimes what the guy does that makes her feel all giddy and stuff, but then we usually go to that part where she asks me if she should confess or not.</p><p>Now, I don’t really know what to say since I haven’t been in a relationship or whatever. So I’m asking you. I’ll tell her what you think though, I think I’ve mentioned you to her in passing. Or maybe I’ll steal your advice, whatever goes.” Wonwoo ended. Soonyoung hummed contemplatively, his other hand rubbing his jaw.</p><p>“Have you thought about what you’d do if you were the one being confessed to?” Soonyoung asks. Wonwoo looked upwards in thought. Yeah, he hasn’t really thought about it.</p><p>“Have you ever been in a relationship or have you had a lover?” Soonyoung presses.</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>“Have you been confessed to?”</p><p>“Yeah.” His reply made Soonyoung grin like a young child.</p><p>“Well then! How did it go? Maybe you can base off your answer to your friend with that experience?” Soonyoung suggests. Wonwoo shook his head profusely.</p><p>“No, no, no, I wouldn’t recount that experience as advice to her.” Soonyoung’s eyebrows raised in inquiry and egged him to spill.</p><p>“Alright I’ll tell you how terrible that was so you go tell me what to advise her,” Wonwoo stared at Soonyoung until he got an affirmative reply.</p><p> </p><p>“So I was… I don’t know maybe middle school? You know I went to a Catholic school before so they had us go to some kind of seminar or recollection sessions. My class got together, and we brought stuff along. So one time, when we were doing this bible session or something, I was with my two friends, one guy and a girl. Once we were off doing our own activities, this guy friend I had nudged me and told me that our other friend likes me. I didn’t really know what to do when I found out. And I didn’t know how to act. And after that class session, I kind of avoided that friend, I really didn’t know why, so that’s that.” Wonwoo finishes. And Soonyoung was intrigued. It showed on his face, and he was so immersed in his story that the arm that was holding Wonwoo’s arm pressed closer in interest.</p><p> </p><p>“See, I go avoid people who like, like me. I don’t really know why but I do. So that’s not really a good thing to tell my friend don’t you think?” Wonwoo concludes. Soonyoung nodded slowly.</p><p>“Damn Wonwoo that’s pretty intense for middle school experiences don’t you think?”</p><p>“Yeah, we didn’t really get to talk to each other after that.”</p><p>“That’s mean, Wonwoo.”</p><p>“I’m sorry? I didn’t know better, I was young then.”</p><p>“Okay, acknowledged.” Soonyoung nodded, looking out far to the field. He stood up and tugged at Wonwoo.</p><p> </p><p>“Shall we walk?”</p><p> </p><p>Soonyoung and Wonwoo walked together back to the spot they left. The rain stopped and the puddles they passed by earlier grew bigger.</p><p>“I don’t know what to say, Wonwoo. I mean, people have different reactions when being confessed. Tell your friend that she knows this guy she likes better, so she should know what he might react once knowing, or once she told him about his feelings. I don’t think there’s a set of words to tell and a set reaction once knowing, you know?” Soonyoung asks Wonwoo. That actually makes sense.</p><p>“But what would you do if you were my friend?” Wonwoo inquires, avoiding a large puddle.</p><p>“I’d tell that guy friend that I like him.”</p><p>“Really? That’s very straightforward don’t you think?”</p><p>“That’s how I roll, Wonwoo.”</p><p>“Well, what do you do when you like someone?” Wonwoo presses further questions to Soonyoung’s way. Soonyoung remains unperturbed, and answers without thought.</p><p>“I look at them.”</p><p>“Well of course you do. People look at people they like, that’s natural,” Wonwoo rolls his eyes at the reply.</p><p>“I look at them. I study their face, see what makes them tick, or what amuses them. Seeing is different than actually looking.” Soonyoung sighs, looking at Wonwoo’s way. Well of course, Wonwoo thinks. That’s natural.</p><p>“Well of course.” Well of course. He says and they walk to the back gates of the university.</p><p> </p><p>It has become his habit to walk Soonyoung to the bus stop. Soonyoung may be fit, and is active at every university activity he knows, but Soonyoung’s pretty lazy to walk 15 minutes to his dorms, whereas Wonwoo has a 40 minute travel back to his house. Wonwoo sometimes complains to Soonyoung that he is lucky he gets to live at walking distance to the university, but Soonyoung shrugs him off every time. They see lots of people, couples or friends with arms linked or holding hands. At the corner of his eye, Wonwoo sees Soonyoung pout and frown at every passing people.</p><p>Soonyoung then grabs Wonwoo’s left hand out of the blue.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I have to hold your hand now,” Soonyoung announces , Wonwoo feels heat rising up his neck, to his ears, “look at them all holding hands and being cozy, I can’t stand it, I got envious,” Soonyoung huffs. Wonwoo wants to die.</p><p>“Alright, suit yourself.” Wonwoo says.</p><p> </p><p>Wonwoo’s hands feel slack, but every time he feels his hand going limp from all this maelstrom of emotions going through his system, Soonyoung squeezes his hand slightly in reassurance. The passing cars lend passing shadows on Soonyoung’s face, and a sheen of sweat forms on Soonyoung’s forehead. Wonwoo feels the urge to wipe it away but chooses not to. The air smells sweet when wind blows through the tree-lined pavement, and stray drops of water falling through the trees’ canopy drops on his jacket, but he doesn’t mind wiping them away. Jeon Wonwoo doesn’t really care for anything in this world right now. He’ll only take what he is given and will go through it. Especially now, he feels cathartic. A slight itch forms on his arm due to his damp shirt sticking to his skin, and the growing comfortable silence grows too loud that he wants to tell Soonyoung something. Could be anything, really, Wonwoo thinks. Soonyoung beat him to it.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t really have to walk me to the bus station every time you know,” Soonyoung states.</p><p>“I know, but it’s become second nature. What can I do?” Wonwoo shrugs.</p><p>“Makes sense.”</p><p> </p><p>Silence fills the space between them, except for passing cars and overheard conversations. A few steps now, and the fluorescent lights of the bus station comes into view. Wonwoo dreads the nearing time.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you regret it?”</p><p>“Regret what?”</p><p>“Bailing out with me.”</p><p>“Not for a second.”</p><p>Wonwoo admits, and swings their hands for a bit. Soonyoung has been very attentive to him all this time, and now he just wanted to make a small gesture of appreciation, to make Soonyoung feel that he is there.</p><p>They stand under the awning of the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive. Any minute now.</p><p>Soonyoung lets go of Wonwoo’s hand and sticks them inside his black jacket. The top of Soonyoung’s dress shirt is darker, and Wonwoo sees his clavicle through the fabric. He looks away. The bus arrives to a stop.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you for wasting time with me, Soonyoung,” Wonwoo breathes out. Time. Time is running out.</p><p>“Anything for you.” Soonyoung smiles and boards the bus, tapping his card at the entrance.</p><p> </p><p>Wonwoo waits for the bus to disappear from his view, and he starts to walk back to his own bus stop at the other end of the university, and checks the phone for the time. They spent 5 hours wasting time together, from dusk till dark. Not that he regrets it.</p><p> </p><p>After 20 minutes of walking and waiting at his bus stop, he boards and sits at the end, checks the time and estimates his arrival time at his home, and plans the reading of the last 15 pages of his book for tomorrow’s class. He really wasn’t able to focus with Soonyoung’s eyes boring into him the whole time he was studying. Or trying to. His hand still felt warm from Soonyoung’s hand holding. He would like to hold it again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Vibrates. His phone received a message.</p><p>Wonwoo checks. It’s from Soonyoung.</p><p>“Are you going to the library tomorrow?” He reads.</p><p>“I will. As always. Why?”</p><p>“I’ll study with you.”</p><p>“You don’t go to the library Soonyoung, you said it makes you sleepy.”</p><p>“I wanted to. I’ll have time looking at you.”</p><p>“What, you mean waste time with me?”</p><p>“I will never regret it.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Monday on a January, it was cold, and it often rained in between days.</p><p> </p><p>But Wonwoo clearly remembers and feels a summer day. Full of fire. A halo of sun around Soonyoung’s head.</p><p> </p><p>Soonyoung’s fire was set alight, and Wonwoo is in its warm unsullied flames.</p><p>After all, his hand is always warm and comforting. Like a single falling plumeria flower landing softly on his shoulder, the whole world seems to be on his favor, the arc of the universe long and arduous, but bends slightly towards his fate. So he will be sure to accept it in its entirety.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>28 January 2021</p><p>I did not expect to write another soonwoo fic, especially a continuation of small detour. I was trying to overcome my slump, and was writing another fic when the idea struck, I cannot seem to ignore the itch to write and so I was writing this with haste and was very focused I cannot believe it was me who wrote it.</p><p>I hope I did soonie and wonwoo justice, and hope it was able to satisfy your seventeen literary cravings.</p><p>Also, the second finished svt fic.</p><p>writing twitter (very empty but hmu nonetheless): @helioswrites</p></blockquote></div></div>
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